Asking For Time
by Quil Explodes
Summary: Five Times Sirius Black said "Five more minutes". For Cuban Sombrero Gal's "Five Things Challenge" in the Harry Potter FanFiction Challenges Forum. RL/SB


**This is for Cuban Sombrero Gal's "Five Things Challenge" in the Harry Potter FanFiction Challenges Forum.**

* * *

**I.**

"Sirius, open the door." Six year-old Sirius Black winces as his mother's voice pierces through his door.

"No!"

"Sirius."

"No! I won't!" Sirius looks frantically at the dark walls and corners of his room, but there is no way out, no escape.

"We're leaving! You have one minute to floo to Knockturn Alley or you're not coming."

"Don't wanna go!"

"Sirius! Do as I say."

"I don' wanna go to Knockturn--Knockturn Alley. The people there are evil. They do weir--"

"Sirius Orion Black, you either shut your mouth or I'll do it for you. You have one minute." Sirius can almost see his mother draw her wand, looking terrifying and insane.

"I'm not dressed."

"Get dressed. One minute."

"Just give me two."

"One minute."

"Three?"

"One minute. I'm leaving now. If you don't arrive in one minute--"

"Five minutes? Just five minutes? I'm not dressed, and Reg's spit all over my shir--"

"One minute."

**--**

**II.**

James shakes him awake. He swears. By third year, they had learned enough swear words to make McGonagall furious, and they used them every chance they got, until it became second nature.

"James, what the hell are you doing? What time is it?" Sirius brings up a hand and rubs his eyes, not succeeding in clearing them from the blur of waking up.

"Three," Remus says from somewhere behind James.

"Three in the bloody effing morning, what the hell are you doing waking me up?"

"Remember?" James frowns. "The prank? Against the Syltherines? You're the one who thought of it."

"Give him a minute, Prongs," Remus says. Sirius squints to make out his dark form in the even darker room.

"Five...five minutes, then I'll be ready."

James sighs. "I'm getting the Cloak and the map. Peter's in the bathroom. If you're not up and ready by the time we are, you're not coming."

"Aw, Prongs!" Sirius catches sight of his best friend's shining eyes and sighs. "Just give me five more minutes," he mumbles, before slipping back into oblivion.

**--**

**III.**

"Sirius, you have to leave."

"I can change quick, Moony, it's okay." Sirius's eyes trailed as Remus pulled off his shirt slowly.

"I know, but I don't want you to see it."

"Why not? It's okay, I can deal--" He takes a step closer, and Remus backs away with a strange look on his face. His skin is pale white.

"I don't want you to." Remus clenches his fists, bites down on his lower lip. His eyes catch Sirius's. "Please."

"Moony, there's nothing wrong with--"

"Sirius."

"You let James that one time--"

"_Padfoot_. I don't want you to see it."

"Why?"

"Because--I'll tell you later. If you ever leave."

"Aw, come on, just tell me now? I'tll take five minutes, just five minutes?"

"It'll take about two seconds, but I'm not telling you till I'm in the Hospital Wing tomorrow and _you've left_."

"Oh, fine," Sirius grumbles. "But this better be good."

"Oh, don't worry," Remus grins slightly, looking a bit crazy with the full moon and with his frustrating secret knowledge that Sirius had to wait a whole _twelve_ _hours_ to find out. "It is."

**--**

**IV.**

Sirius pushes Remus against the filthy wall of the bathroom.

"Sirius--" His protests are cut off when Sirius's lips land on his, taking his voice and his oxygen.

His lips trail and his hands wander and Sirius grins when he presses his hand on Remus's chest and feels his heartbeat fly away wildly beneath his fingers. His tries to still his own racing one, but decides to kiss Remus again instead.

"Sirius," Remus manages a few minutes later. "Sirius, James'll be looking for us, we shouldn't--"

"Oh, come on, Moony. You know you love it."

"I would say I do, but I don't want to inflate your ego any more than it has to be."

"Ha, ha." Sirius laughs dryly, his mouth covering Remus's. Again.

"Sirius, I'm serious this time."

"Okay, I'll be Remus. Do I get your eyes, too? I love your eyes. They're nice eyes. I wouldn't mind having them. Actually, I would, because then I wouldn't get to look at them. Unless I stared in the mirror all day. Which would be boring. Because I'd much rather look at you. I l--"

"Sirius!" His mouth moving feels strangely good against Remus's, because only Sirius could ramble while snogging him and still make his knees go all weak.

"Aw, come on, just five more minutes?" He draws back slightly, looking Remus in his nice golden eyes. His fingers trace around them.

"Fine." And he's against the wall again, but he can't think about the slime or whatever else could be there, and he can't seem to regret his response.

**--**

**V.**

Sirius stares up at the night sky.

He hears the shouts of children in the distance.

It's Halloween.

He should be getting drunk with Moony and Padfoot, he thinks. And Lily. And hearing Lily tell James not to set a bad example for Harry. And hearing Remus laugh.

But instead he's standing in the ruins of his best friend's house, trying not to look at his body.

Hagrid's coming in five minutes.

_Five minutes_, he whispers, and his head drops and his wide, dark eyes take in the remains of the place that had once been so happy.

He wishes he had had five minutes. Just five minutes, because in five minutes, you can lift the Fidelius Charm. In five minutes, you can become your best friend's Secret-Keeper. Five minutes is enough to kill someone. Five minutes is enough to apologize.

But five minutes is never enough to say goodbye.

Sirius can never say goodbye, especially to James Potter. He can never say goodbye to someone who has been such a huge part of all of his life that's mattered. He can never say goodbye to the one person he'd always tried to explain himself to but had never had to. He can never say goodbye to his brother. He's already lost one. He can't lose another.

He can't say goodbye to James Potter.

Especially not in five minutes.


End file.
